A UNIFIL watchtower overlooking the site of a Hezbollah encampment (video snippet)

SEE IT: Hezbollah Tunnels & Weapons Found Near UNIFIL Bases

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The Judean Staff
National

In a growing conflict where international bodies have failed to uphold their mandates, Israel's calls for accountability from the United Nations have only become louder. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest statement demanding the removal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from Southern Lebanon is the latest chapter in a long saga of international neglect. The controversy reached a boiling point when Israeli tanks reportedly "forcibly entered" a UNIFIL position on Sunday, sending shockwaves through diplomatic circles. But as the dust settles, the real question emerges: who is truly responsible for the volatile situation along Israel's northern border?

For nearly two decades, the United Nations Security Council's Resolution 1701 has tasked UNIFIL with keeping Hezbollah at bay, preventing the terrorist organization from operating near the Israeli border and overseeing its disarmament. Instead of adhering to these duties, however, UNIFIL has stood idly by while Hezbollah systematically entrenched itself in every Lebanese village south of the Litani River. Hezbollah's military buildup has flourished within arm's reach of UNIFIL, with missile launchers and weapons depots strategically placed a mere 100 yards from UN peacekeeping positionsā€”often in plain sight of their watchtowers.

The absurdity of the situation is underscored by the fact that while UNIFIL failed to act for 18 years as Hezbollah weaponized Southern Lebanon, international criticism of Israel has mounted in response to the Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) strikes on UNIFIL. Israel's intensified ground invasion of southern Lebanon, aimed at eradicating Hezbollahā€™s entrenched network of militants and weapons, has left five peacekeepers wounded, mostly in strikes blamed on Israeli forces. But this is no accidental crossfire. Israel released irrefutable evidenceā€”video footage of Hezbollah's weapons stockpiles and missile sites, easily visible from UNIFIL posts. As Jotam Confino, a foreign journalist who has worked for The Telegraph, The BBC, CBS News and USA Today, put it, ā€œItā€™s incomprehensible that UNIFIL didn't know about this.ā€ 

Despite Israel's repeated warnings, UNIFIL has refused to relocate its personnel. Israel insists that Hezbollah exploits the presence of UN peacekeepers as cover, launching attacks from areas near their bases. This tactic has played out repeatedly since Israel's latest ground offensive began, forcing the IDF to do what the UN has neglected: push Hezbollah away from its borders.

At the heart of the Israeli-U.N. tension lies not just the failures in Lebanon, but the broader UN pattern of complicity in terrorism. This was made glaringly evident during the ongoing war with Hamas. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), supposedly dedicated to providing aid and education in Gaza, has been exposed for years as an enabler of Hamas' terrorist infrastructure. On October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel, several UNRWA employees were among the terroristsā€”specifically, members of Hamas' elite Nukhba force, who played key roles in the massacre that started the current conflict.

Israel has also uncovered a trove of evidence linking UNRWA facilities to Hamas operations. Schools run by the agency have been used as command centers, missile launch sites, and even storage for weapons. Tunnels used by Hamas fighters, including entrances found within UNRWA buildings, drew power directly from the agency's infrastructure. In a staggering disregard for this evidence, UNRWA's Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, along with U.N. Secretary-General AntĆ³nio Guterres, have continued to denounce Israel while ignoring the agency's role in facilitating Hamas' terror. This has led to an unprecedented move: Israel declared Guterres persona non grata earlier this month, marking a significant diplomatic rift.

Further fueling the fire, the U.N.'s education arm has been under scrutiny for promoting Palestinian extremism. Schoolbooks issued by UNRWA have been widely criticized for erasing Jewish history from the land of Israel and glorifying violent "resistance" against Israeli civilians. These textbooks have been found to encourage suicide bombings and attacks on public transportationā€”content UNRWA claimed had been removed. Yet, as Israeli forces swept into Gaza, they found these same materials still in use, with new editions printed as recently as two years ago.

Back in Lebanon, the situation with UNIFIL mirrors the same inaction seen with UNRWA in Gaza. The peacekeeping force, originally deployed in 1978 after Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon, has grown to a 10,000-strong contingent. Since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, their mission was expanded to include monitoring the cessation of hostilities and patrolling a buffer zone to enforce Resolution 1701. In theory, this should have been a robust mechanism to prevent Hezbollah from rearming. In practice, it has been little more than a farce, with UNIFIL frequently documenting minor Israeli infractionsā€”like erecting security cameras along the borderā€”but turning a blind eye to Hezbollah's flagrant violations. Massive Hezbollah missile launchers sit hidden in plain sight, just a stone's throw from UNIFIL outposts, yet no reports are filed.

As tensions continue to rise, with Israeli ground forces pushing deeper into Hezbollah-controlled territory, UNIFILā€™s reluctance to move further north from the conflict zone is putting peacekeepers in increasing danger. Last Thursday, Israeli tanks reportedly fired directly on UNIFIL's headquarters in Naqoura, toppling an observation tower and injuring two Indonesian peacekeepers. Since then, the base has been hit repeatedly, with several explosions and smoke rounds injuring additional personnel. Israel maintains that these incidents were part of a broader military strategy aimed at neutralizing Hezbollah, not targeting peacekeepers.

On Sunday, tensions escalated further when two Israeli tanks reportedly entered a UN base, firing smoke rounds and prompting 15 peacekeepers to report skin irritation and gastrointestinal distress. The Israeli presence, lasting 45 minutes, was condemned by the United Nations as an unnecessary provocation. However, Israel has countered that it was necessary to deter Hezbollah, who are notorious for launching attacks from positions near UNIFIL outposts, counting on the international force to shield them from reprisal.

With Prime Minister Netanyahu's call for UNIFIL to evacuate, the question now is whether the U.N. will continue to serve as a human shield for Hezbollah, or finally take responsibility for allowing the terrorist organization to build an arsenal under its watch. Meanwhile, as Israel presses on in both Gaza and southern Lebanon, the international community must confront an uncomfortable truth: peace cannot be brokered when one side turns a blind eye to terror.

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